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Driving while distracted? Know the facts.

Distracted driving usually entails texting or calling while behind the wheel. Many people think it’s not a big deal to take a call or answer a message because they are solidly competent drivers when paying attention.

Know the facts:

Drivers are twice as likely to be involved in an accident while texting.

Eleven percent of all drivers under 20 years of age who are involved in a fatal accident were driving distracted.

Sixty percent of drivers use mobile devices while driving.

Seventy-eight percent of young adults and teens say they read messages while behind the wheel.

Seventy-one percent say they have written an email or sent a text message while driving.

If a car is traveling at 55 mph, the five seconds the driver’s eyes are off the road is enough time to travel the length of football field.

Adding an additional activity in a vehicle, like texting and dialing while driving, increases the risk of an accident by three times.

By December 2013, 171.3 billion texts had resulted in accidents in the United States.